A Battle in the Mind
by hollymariesmith22
Summary: White Diamond is now a bigger threat than ever as she has mind controlled Yellow and Blue Diamond. Steven and the Crystal Gems finally make it to the head of her ship. Will Steven and the Crystal Gems be safe from White Diamond's powers?
1. The Destination

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy!**

Chapter 1 - The Destination.

**Steven**

A bright light surrounded us. I could feel us all unfusing. Obsidian disappeared in an instant. I groaned. I gasped for air. I still find it strange that my fusions with the other gems don't need air. My body ached from the impact that caused us to unfuse. _Did the others feel this pain too? _I thought to myself.

"Guys, Connie!" I yelled to the others hoping they were okay. I was the most worried about Connie due to the fact that she was in our hand before we unfused.

"Keep going, I am right behind you!" Connie yelled from below me. She hung onto her sword that was the only thing keeping her from falling. Her sword had been shoved into White Diamond's ship's torso to stop her from falling. Her short hair flowed wildly around her face. I took my attention off of Connie and looked up. I searched around to see an entry point into White Diamond's ship's head. "There, we can get inside through the eye!" I screamed to the others as I located it.

We all started to climb towards the entry point. Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl got a head start due to them unfusing closer to the eye. It was hard to climb because the exterior surface of the ship was so smooth. It was really cold too which made me shiver as I tried to catch up with the gems. I inhaled the weird homeworld air. The air was so weird and mysterious to me even now after I have spent at least a week trapped on this broken planet.

Suddenly, my mind snapped back to reality as I realized I had stopped climbing. The gems had now reached a ledge directly beneath the entry point. Amethyst flung herself onto the opening of the entry point. She had a serious and mature look on her face which was very uncharacteristic for her, however, who can blame her? This is a life or death situation at this point. She helped Pearl up and Garnet hung onto the edge of the entry point and looked down at me. "Hurry!" She grunted at me, her face displayed no emotion but she was tense and scared, I could tell.

White Diamond's ship started to approach a pillar. My hands started to slip as I realised how sweaty they were. I was losing my grip. My arms flailed as I tried to get a grip. I clasp my hands against the ship and used my floating abilities to boost myself to the entry point. Garnet hastily grabbed me and pulled me inside the ship just before the head of White Diamond's ship collided with the sturdy pillar.

We slid down a narrow tunnel, Pearl and Amethyst were only a tiny bit ahead of us. If the situation was not so serious, I would have enjoyed this. It was like a massive slid that were usually at amusement parks. It was a little gloomy due to the tunnel being comprised of only the colour grey. My heart hammered in my chest as anxiety rolled over me. _What would I say to White Diamond when we finally arrived? _I thought to myself. Garnet placed her hand on my shoulder reassuringly. I looked up at her and saw a weak smile on her face. A smile pulled on my lips. She had seen how worried I was. My anxiety momentarily receded.

Pearl and Amethyst gave me reassuring looks before they focused on the tunnel in front of them where a white light started to glow. Garnet started to slide past them and ended up at the front of the group. Garnet jumped out the tunnel first, she was followed by Pearl, then Amethyst and then me. We all landed perfectly on the cold bright white floor. I got up from my landing position and looked up at White Diamond while trying to keep a confident face. I stared directly at her. "White Diamond" I whispered.


	2. Confrontation

**Before we start, ****_Italics _****means that the character is thinking something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead!**

Chapter 2 - Confrontation

**Pearl's point of view.**

White Diamond looked down at Steven. Her puppets (gems that were being mind controlled by her) mimicked her. An emotionless grin spread across her face. "Oh Starlight, what are you doing crawling in here? You want your legs back? You want your planet back? Surely you can understand why I can't let you leave. Look at what you did to yourself last time. White Diamond said mockingly.

Despite my body telling me to run, I stood still and put a stern look on my face. I still shivered as she was focusing on Steven. _What kind of punishment was she thinking of for us? Will Steven be okay? What is she going to do to the rest of us? _My thoughts started to consume me. "White Diamond" Steven announced loudly. My thoughts zoomed back to the present as a looked down at our young leader. _He may not be the official leader of the Crystal Gems but he has what it takes. _I thought to myself as Steven continued. "My name is Steven Universe_, _I am here to…" White Pearl landed in front of Steven and blocks the path that made him stop and look up at her.

I started to tense up. My hands scrunched into fists without me telling them to. I stood there wide-eyed. I heard Steven scream as he darted out of the way of the emotionless Pearl that had just landed before him. "My my, we have been causing quite a scene haven't we?" White Diamond's voice echoed through her puppets. I gritted my teeth together while staring arrogantly at the colourless gems.

Steven started to quake with fear or was it anger? "What have you done to them? They're…" He got cut off by White Diamond shushing him and putting her finger up to her lips. Her puppets mimicked her. The harsh noise echoed around the white room. She slowly moved her hand away from her lips and her puppets followed her. A shiver flowed through my body when I remembered how many times she had mind controlled me before I was given to Pink Diamond. The harsh sound ended and a scream seemed to echo around the room despite the fact that no one screamed. Fear was starting to take over my body. _She is just playing tricks with you. No one screamed. You have to be there for Steven! _Those words echoed quietly in my mind.

"Poor Yellow, her impurities absorb all the blue in her light, she is so strong!" White Diamond whispered loudly as she stroked her shoulder (which cause Yellow Diamond to stroke her own shoulder). "But so weak when it comes to Blue." White diamond grinned evilly. "Ah and Blue." She continued while placing her hand under her neck for Blue diamond to copy. "Her injuries soak up all of the warmth in her spectrum, she thinks she needs you Pink" White continued. Steven curled his hand into a fist when White called him Pink diamond. "As for me." White said ignorantly "I am sure I don't need you." She whispered loudly. She emphasized the word 'need' which probably meant she was hinting at something that she was going to bring up later in the 'conversation'.

"After all, I am every colour of the light, but you are a part of me…" White paused before continuing. "The part I always have to repress." She grinned and closed her eyes for a brief moment. Steven stared at her. I knew he was very confused. "What?" He asked.

"Dude, what is she even talking about? This is nonsense!" Amethyst announced as she walked over to Steven and place her hand on his shoulder. It was a brief sign of support for Steven.

"Oh! Hello there." White Diamond spoke clearly to Amethyst. Sweat started to form on my forehead. _She is going to take her anger out on us or on Steven or Steven and myself. Either of those is extremely bad. _I worried to myself. "Your new friends are so funny!" White diamond said as she spoke to Steven again. A maniacal grin spread across her face as she looked down at Steven. She let out an emotionless chuckle.

**Steven's point of view.**

I forced myself to gulp as I looked up at White Diamond. Beads of sweat ran down my head and soaked my shirt. I was shaking so bad, I tried desperately to calm down but to no avail. "I think you have been a bad influence on them Pink." White looked at me straight in the eyes. "You and your Pearl I mean." I could feel Pearl go stiff behind me. I grabbed her hand and squeezed it gently to show that we would both be okay. Out of the corner of my eyes, I could see a blue blush on Pearl's cheeks.

Garnet placed one of her hands on my alternative shoulder to Amethyst. _My friends have my back. _I thought to myself. "How… Cute" White taunted. Her smile grew wider and made me feel even more uncomfortable. White diamond forced her other puppets into their white bubbles and they disappeared through the glowing floor. She broke her pose and stood up straight. Her translucent eyes seemed to pierce through my gem. My breath hitched as worry tried to consume my mind. A tear ran down my cheek. I started to shake but despite my fears, I had to keep strong for the other gems. All I could feel was fear in the other gems' auras. "We will be okay," I whispered to them.

"Oh, I doubt that Starlight." White Diamond laughed. "Not a single member of the Crystal gems will be 'okay' soon. Some may be shattered. Who knows what the future may hold." She then looked down at Garnet. "Some of us may if they did not become defective and dependant on a useless Ruby." She laughed. I could hear Garnet growl from behind me.

**Garnet's point of view.**

_Keep it together. Ruby stop you are not helping, calm down. _Sapphire warned as Ruby argued back at her. _She called me 'useless'! How can I 'calm down'?_ Ruby ranted.

_We are here for Steven, remember? Sapphire scolded Ruby._

_Sapphire, use your future vision, we need to make sure that we can avoid any casualties. Ruby started to worry._

_Sapphire paused. Garnet started to focus and the possible futures started to flash through their minds. _

"Keep together everyone, don't let her separate us," I whispered urgently to the gems around me. My lips quivered as I said this.

My hand rested on Steven's shoulder. Ruby's gem started to let out a comforting warmth as it started to glow slightly. My three eyes glared at White Diamond behind my visor. White Diamond laughed evilly. "Is the Sapphire in that fusion trying to get a grip onto the future?" She teased. "Don't make me laugh you useless gem fusion. You have no purpose due to your dependence on one another. It hinders efficiency when gems rely on each other. They no longer have anything to offer Homeworld. Even if they use to be effective gems, it won't matter because they instantly become defective the moment they fuse." She taunted; her smile becoming larger by the moment.

**Steven's point of view.**

My curly hair rested on my skin as I stared up at White Diamond. Anger was bubbling below the surface like a volcano ready to erupt. The only comforting things were the gems who were reassuring me by resting their hands on my shoulder and Pearl (whose hand was still in my hand). I narrowed my eyes as I looked straight into her glowing White eyes. _Wait a minute, her eyes were not glowing a minute ago. _I thought as the realisation hit me like a sword piercing through my stomach. "Guys!" I warned.

"Now then." White Diamond said as she raised her hand; the back of her hand faced us as it rose high above us. "Let's get down to business, shall we?" She asked rhetorically.

"Dodge!" I screamed but it was too late. Her giant hand slammed into my body. Garnet and Amethyst dodged but Pearl clung onto my hand tighter as we were flung through the air. I braced for impact as we slammed into the smooth cold white floor.

Pain started to spread through my body. Small pieces of the floor were stuck into my back. A dark red liquid oozed out of my wounds. I let out a short blood-curdling scream. My breathing intensified and groans escaped my mouth. Someone placed their hands on my shoulders. I tried to focus as black specs danced before my eyes. My vision cleared slightly and I started to blink rapidly. "Everything aches and hurts…" I whispered weakly

"Steven, use your healing spit on yourself, quickly." A familiar voice ordered. She seemed very scared due to the stuttering in her voice. I licked my hand and placed it on my arm. A tingling sensation rippled through my body as my eyesight returned to me.

Pearl was in front of me and looked really stressed. She had tear marks down her face and her hair looked messy. She slowly relieved the pressure that her hands were putting on my shoulders. She loudly exhaled. She swiftly got up and put her hand out to help me up. I slowly placed my hand on hers and she gently pulled me up. She withdrew her hand once I got up. "Here," I said calmly as I licked my hand and placed it on her gem. Her body started to sparkle. Her tear marks faded away and her hair went back into it's perfect hairstyle. All of her scratches and bruises from her fall vanished. A blush spread across her cheeks as she looked at me trustingly.

Then, she turned her head and her eyes narrowed. She glared at a presence in front of us. I followed her gaze and realised we were at White Diamond's feet as I saw the Giant Diamond before in front of us. "Now then…" She said as a podium started to rise from beneath our feet. "We have separated the defective gems from the useful ones. Despite the useful ones being defective in the mind, we can move past that." She stared at us as the podium stopped. We were now at eye level with White Diamond. She narrowed her eyes at me "With some help from my powers and teachings of course." She threatened as her gem started to glow extremely brightly. "Let us… Begin!"


	3. Mind control

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story.**

Chapter 3 - Mind control

**Steven's point of view.**

I looked into her eyes, but all I could see were two glowing white voids. Her gem was hardly visible due to the intensity of its glow. I could feel Pearl's arms wrap around my waist and try to get me to a safer location. "We need to get out of here Steven! Now!" She warned as she reached the back of the tall podium that we were now trapped on. Garnet gasped as she realised what it was too late to avoid the terrible future she foresaw. She started to cry.

"Steven, Pearl, get out of there now!" She screamed without a single piece of hope in her voice.

I urgently grabbed Pearl's hand (that was around my waist) and jumped towards the edge of the podium to try to escape. I jumped at full force and collided with an invisible barrier. White electric bolts flew at me from the barrier. Some collided with my body which caused burns and cuts to form at the impact points. I landed back at the centre of the podium facing White Diamond. I froze as soon as I looked at her. Her eyes had white energy flowing around them.

The rest of her body glowed so brightly that you would need sunglasses to be able to look at her without squinting.

A weak pink glow illuminated from my gem (which was visible through my shirt) as I tried to summon my shield but to no avail, my body seemed incapable of doing anything but look at who was in front of me due to the fear that had built up inside of my body. Instead of attempting to summon my shield again, I looked up at White Diamond's eyes as the white aura around her eyes flew towards me in two straight white beams. They collided with my gem as my vision became a white blur…

I let out a long blood-curdling scream. I felt the barrier around the podium disappear as I started to plummet to the ground. A new kind of pain flew through my body. It was worse than I could ever imagine. _Did White just shatter me? _I weakly thought to myself. _Surely… not… _I could feel six hands catch me midair and ending my decent. I closed my eyes and gave up on trying to see any of my surroundings. Despite knowing that the Crystal Gems were with me; I felt completely alone.

**Amethyst's point of view.**

Garnet, Pearl and I caught Steven just before he collided with the floor. Garnet and Pearl seemed to be petrified about what happened. I was in shock. "What did White do to him?" I asked as I trembled. Pearl looked at me and (for once in her life) she could not say a word. She pulled back his iconic star t-shirt and showed me his gem. It had started to turn grey. The centre of his gem was a light grey while grey lines that looked like vines travelled to the edges of his gem from the middle. These 'vines' had started to spread onto his body from his gem and were growing by the second.

He opened his eyes and to our horror, all we could see were little black diamonds where his pupils were which were surrounded by a white void. A trickle of blood trailed down his trembling lips. He tried to smile at as when he saw the tears flooding out of our eyes. "I am fine…" He whispered in a weak gravelly voice.

**Pearl's point of view.**

I held him tight as tears began to leak out of my eyes and I started to sniffle. _How is he holding out? Wait, can he be mind controlled? He is part human._ Questions started to dance from within my gem. His words finally registered in my gem. _Wait, what? _Confusion dancing in my gem. I watched speechless as the young gem hybrid slowly got to his feet. He was shaking like mad but he did not want to fall victim to the mind control.

_That is our Steven! _I thought proudly to myself as he faced White Diamond. Drops of blood splatted against the clean floor.

**Steven's point of view.**

The white lines spread further up my body; blood started to pour out of my mouth. I gagged and threw up. Only blood came out of my mouth. I gasped for air and groaned through the pain that was getting stronger in my body. A calm distant voice started speaking to me and telling me to do things. _I have to do something now…_ I thought urgently. I licked my hand and put it on my gem. The pain eased as the lines receded into my gem. My gem then returned to its normal pink colour. "I can't believe that worked," I whispered weakly.

I wiped the blood from my mouth and wiped it on the floor. My heartbeat returned to just a tiny bit of a quicker pace than usual. I gasped for air and exhaled loudly.

"I am impressed" White Diamond announced. "No one has been able to fight back against my powers, not even Yellow or Blue." She chuckled evilly "Evidently." She grinned. "Luckily, I was hardly trying. Don't worry Pink, you will soon become effective for the first time in your defective life soon. Then maybe you will be useful for something other than ruining everything."

I slowly stood up. Black specs momentarily appearing before my eyes. I took a step forward but I stumbled backwards due to my body being too weak still. "Steven!" Pearl yelled as she caught me before I hit the ground. I looked around at Garnet and Amethyst. They were looking at each other with determined looks on their faces. They looked back at me then smiled.

They grabbed each other's hands as their gems glowed and a bright light engulfed them. A giant figure was now in their place. She seemed to be a quarter of White Diamond's height. She summoned her wrecking ball weapon and glared up at White Diamond. Her long dark purple hair hung like a cloak around her body. Her shirt was black with rips in her shirt which revealed Amethyst's gem. She held her wrecking ball between her four hands. Ruby and Sapphire's gems were partially visible and had a purple hue. Her teeth looked like sharp knives. One of her eyes was visible due to that part of the visor being transparent. Her magenta eye was narrowed and was slightly bloodshot. Her visor had changed since the last time I saw her; instead of looking like two triangles attached to each other, it now looked like half of a star. Its tip was transparent which was where I could see one of her eyes.

"Sugilite…" I whispered with my gravelly voice.

"She is trying to distract White while I am helping you," Pearl replied.

"I am fine…" I whispered while trying to hide how weak I currently felt.

"Steven, don't lie," Pearl whispered as she looked down at me.

I looked down as I allowed myself to sit up in a sitting position. I looked up at Pearl and our eyes locked. "Pearl?" I whispered with a tint of worry in my voice. "What are we going to do?"

"I have an idea... if you are okay with it." She announced quietly to me as she put out her hand to me. A light blue blush appeared on her cheeks. _Rainbow 2.0? _I thought hopefully.

She acted like she read my mind as she nodded.

I took her hand and I could feel a blush appear on my own cheeks. I started to smile as she pulled me up. She then picked me up and started to twirl with me in her arms. The world around us started to spin and wash away as our gemstones started to glow.

**Sugilite's point of view.**

Anger towards White Diamond was currently fueling our fusion but we were together to save Steven. Pearl's plan had worked perfectly so far. I swung my wrecking ball towards White Diamond. She slowly raised her hand and caught the incoming wrecking ball. She started to apply pressure to it. After a few moments, it crumbled. I growled angrily, "Try and crumble this!" I yelled at her as I summoned four wrecking balls then threw them at her. She crushed two of them with her hands and kicked the other two with her foot which caused them to crumble through the air.

A bright pink light shone and illuminated the area below me. Pearl's plan is nearly complete. I summoned two more wrecking balls. My gems started to glow as I set the wrecking balls on fire. The purple fire licked at the air and spat viciously. "Try this!" I spat angrily. I started to spin, the fire zoomed by. I then launched them at White Diamond. She stumbled backwards before standing back up while throwing the weapon off of her.

Then, White Diamond put one of her hands up to her gem and pulled a large sword out of it. The handle was a dark grey with bright white diamonds on it. The blade was a bright white. My eyes widened as I saw her raise her sword. Then she swung it down at into my body only just underneath Amethyst's gem. She started to fully drive it through my physical form.

I glanced down at where Steven and Pearl were. Now, I only saw Rainbow Quartz 2.0 staring up at me horrified. I smiled and raised my hand. I gave a thumbs up. Then, I collapsed and we all retreated into our gems.

**Rainbow Quartz 2.0's point of view.**

I rushed towards their gemstones but they stayed suspended in mid-air. "Barriers…" I whispered as I realised what White was trying to do. I summoned my shield and spear then I combined them. I twirled my umbrella gracefully then I unleashed a rainbow beam from the top of my umbrella that hit White in the face. She lost concentration which caused her barrier to shatter. The gems started to fall. My gems glowed as I shapeshifted two more arms. I caught the three gems with three of my hands and I kept my umbrella in my remaining hand while shooting projectiles out of it. My three hands rose up to my Pearl component's gem and stored them in there for the time being until they could reform.

I ceased firing projectiles and made my weapon disappear. I got rid of my two extra hands and fell to the floor. "Are you okay?" Pearl asked through Rainbow Quartz 2.0.

"Huh, yeah, I am fine…" I replied to himself. "Just a bit tired, try using more of your powers for a while" I continued.

My spear materialized in my hand. I turned to White Diamond who had just recovered from the projectiles from my umbrella. She glared down at me with an unreadable look on her face. My four eyes glared up at her. Another spear materialized in my other hand. I spun them around in my hands. Then I heard something behind me. I did a flip to the side and readied my spears while flying through the air. I landed perfectly on the ground and glared at the thing trying to sneak up on me.

White Diamond's Pearl stood there with a sword identical to hers but it was smaller. She went to stab me but I blocked with my spear and spun it around which caught her cheek. She went for my spear and knocked it out of my hand; it landed into the ground a bit away from me. She went for a spin attack but I blocked it with my other spear. I spun my body and knocked her to the ground. My spear disappeared as I quietly walked over to the mind-controlled Pearl. I licked my hand and went to put it on her gem when White Diamond's hand came out of nowhere and hit me with a medium amount of strength.

We slammed into the wall and made a massive crater in it. "I am lucky that I don't bleed." I chuckled as I got back up. My hair hung in front of my four eyes. I raised my hands to my hair and swiped it away from my eyes. I looked up at White Diamond just in time to see two white beams going towards both of my gemstones. They hit my gemstones and a familiar unbearable pain shot through my body from both of my gemstones. I used my hands to cover my gemstones to try to soothe the pain. I squeezed all of my eyes shut. A grey hue started to spread over my body. I licked both of my hands and put them on my gems. The grey light infection from Pearl's gem receded but Steven's gem was still grey. "Oh Starlight, I made sure that the beam that hit your gem would be extra strong." She taunted me and I could feel anger from Pearl bubbling to the surface.

**In Rainbow Quartz 2.0's mind.**

"Pearl, we need to unfuse now!" Steven screamed as the pain from his gem increased. He put his hands on his gem.

"I can't leave you like this!" She retaliated.

"Pearl, please, it might carry over to you too and I can't heal you!" Steven warned.

"Steven…" Pearl pleaded.

"Don't argue with me Pearl! You guys are always protecting me, let me protect you for once! You are like a mother to me, please, I don't want anything happening to you." He screamed as he knelt down.

"Okay, be careful and try to keep on healing yourself. I will try and keep you safe." She warned me as our minds started to become distant and disconnected.

**Pearl's point of view. **

We unfused and I felt my confidence drain away from me. Nevertheless, I stood protectively in front of Steven. I summoned a sword in one hand from my gem and I summoned my spear in my other hand. The sword I summoned was identical to the sword I used when demonstrating sword fighting to Steven. I stared at White Diamond, my mouth in a firm line. She was smiling. _Why was she smiling? Does she find this entertaining? _I paused. I started to shudder. I looked over to White Pearl who was still laying on the ground. My eyes reverted back to White Diamond.

Steven screamed out from behind me. I looked around at him and to my horror, I saw that half of his body has turned grey in hue. His eyes looked identical to White's eyes. "Now then Starlight," White said as Steven repeated her words. The grey hue had started to reach his face. Pink tears ran down his face which momentarily got rid of the infection for a brief moment before it started again.

His hair was now pure white and his body was a dull grey. He summoned a bright white shield with spikes on it from his spikey bubble. I took a step back; I raised my sword with a shaking hand. "Steven…" I whispered as the words died on my tongue. I choked as I tried to hold back the tears in my eyes. "You are like a son to me, Steven…" I muttered just loud enough for Steven to hear. I closed my eyes as memories of him flashed before my mind.

"_Steven where are you?" I chirped as I started checking the cupboards, we were playing hide and seek and I was the seeker. I heard a giggle from nearby. I grinned as I approached the area the noise came from. Steven's room. I looked over at his bed, a red bedsheet with pictures of his figures lay over his matress. I remembered laying it all out earlier because Steven was too young to do it himself. Another giggle came from under his bed. I looked under there and found a small four-year-old boy. "Found you." I teased as the small boy carefully rolled over to me. I laughed as I looked down at the little boy. His cheeks had a pink tint and his eyes signified that he was feeling very mischievous. He smiled and laughed as he hugged me._

_I stood on a floating island. Steven had just fallen and I had done nothing. How useless am I? How could I have let him fall after promising to protect him no matter what? Luckily, he had stopped his fall by clinging onto some vines. I collapsed to the floor after showing Steven what had transpired here a long time ago. The projection I emitted from my gem was gone; now only Steven and I were there. "Sometimes I wonder if she can see me through your eyes," I whispered. "What would she think of me now?" I asked as Steven paused._

"_Well…" He whispered kindly to me "I think you are pretty great." He finished. Tears rolled down my cheeks like waterfalls. _

_We stood in the mind of Rainbow Quartz 2.0. A worried look was on Steven's face as his gem turned grey. "Pearl, we need to unfuse now!" Steven screamed as the pain from his gem increased. He put his hands on his gem._

"_I can't leave you like this!" I retaliated._

"_Pearl, please, it might carry over to you too and I can't heal you!" Steven warned._

"_Steven…" I pleaded._

"_Don't argue with me Pearl! You guys are always protecting me, let me protect you for once! You are like a mother to me, please, I don't want anything happening to you!" He screamed as he knelt down. _

"_Okay, be careful and try to keep on healing yourself. I will try and keep you safe." I warned him as our minds started to become distant and disconnected. _

"So," I muttered as I wiped away my tears that were flowing down my face. "I will protect you!" I screamed fiercely. "I will keep you safe!"


	4. A Second Mother and a Son Fight

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story and thank you to people who have favoured it!**

Chapter 4 - A Second Mother and a Son Fight.

**Pearl's point of view. **

I raised my sword, reluctant to fight the hybrid. I was still shaking. "Oh Pearl." The mind-controlled boy spoke but his words were not his own. "A pearl wants to fight a diamond." the small spoke harshly. "Come on then!" He taunted as he raised his shield. _I just have to knock him out. I have studied humans and their weak spots. If I can render him unconscious without really hurting him then maybe his gem will be able to recover or his human instincts can be in charge when he wakes up. _I swung my sword at his shield intending to knock him off balance. Instead, he just stood there and acted like I was tapping the shield. I flipped over his head and tried to sweep him literally off of his feet.

He put up his spiked bubble as soon as I got in range. One of the spikes pierced through my stomach. I let out a small cry of pain as I fell to the ground. His eyes widened a fraction and a hint of pain flashed into his eyes for a moment before he became devoid of all emotion again. He lowered his bubble and walked towards me. He stopped as I was a mere fraction from his feet. The puppet picked me up by the hair. I let out another cry of pain. He paused and dropped me. Tears started to roll out of his eyes. _This is my chance_. I quickly flipped over his head and hit his neck. His hand flung at my neck. The puppet caught me before I could dodge. He spun around and threw me and one of the walls.

I hit the wall with extreme force. He was even stronger than White Diamond herself. "Steven!" I yelled, "Come on Steven, answer me!" I shouted.

"I am not Steven," it replied angrily. "I am a diamond! Address me properly, my useless Pearl." It sneered. "I ought to give you to White Diamond a bit to allow her to clear away your deficiencies."

"Steven!" I yelled again. He winced. His hand moved to his gem. He gently moved his star shirt and placed his hand over his gem. For a moment, I thought he was going to snap out of it but instead, he just clenched his fist. "I told you to address me properly!" He snapped at me angrily. He summoned five spikey shields and threw them at me.

I quickly climbed out of the crater in the wall that I had made, I dodged the first and second shields with ease but the third shield narrowly missed me. The fourth and fifth shields collided with my stomach. The impact caused me to fall back into another wall. The crater in this wall was not that big. _I can't keep this up for much longer._

**Inside of Steven's mind. **

I sat in a white space. Whispers came from all around me and echoed in the bright void. I had scrunched myself into an oval shape. My knees were level with my neck. My arms were wrapped tightly around them. I was devoid of all colour but black and white. The pain was still rippling through my body but it had eased compared to what it was like. I looked down at my grey gemstone. It looked dull and lifeless. It was taking so much energy just for me to stay awake. I shuddered.

A familiar voice cut through the muffled voices."Steven! Steven answer me!" They sounded worried.

"Huh?" I whispered as the muffled voices got louder. I could start to make out what they were saying.

"I am not Steven, I am a diamond! Address me properly, my useless Pearl." They shouted angrily. The voices echoed around the seemingly endless space that I was trapped in. A bitter wind collided into me. _Where did it come from?_ I slowly stood up, the cold winds battling against me. My white curly hair flicked against my skin. My mind started to race. _Who was I with before I was here? How was I separated from them? _Memories of White Diamond flashed before my mind. Her gem glowed with the intensity of a star. _Where are the rest of the Crystal Gems? Amethyst and Garnet had been poofed as Sugilite. Where was Pearl? _Then it hit me. _That was Pearl. Pearl was calling for me. Wait, did White mind control me? That would explain why my surroundings are white. _

I returned my focus to my gem. I slowly ran my fingers over it and felt how smooth it was. I placed my hand over it. The white room became a bit brighter. "Pearl!" I yelled. My voice sounded hoarse and gravelly. I panted. "Pearl!" I repeated a fraction louder.

"Pearl…" The voices muttered as they replicated what I said. Unlike the last time, they sounded like me.

"Pearl!" I screamed as my voice hitched and my voice cracked from the tears running down my face.

I collapsed to the floor. My hand drifting off of my gem. A small pink dot had formed on my gem. The area under where I laid had turned a light pink. Heat drifted through my body. A single dark brown wisp of hair hung by my face.

**Mind-controlled Steven's point of view.**

The useless gem sat there before me. Her head bowed against her will by a simple command issued from my master. Without mind-controlling anyone, she can still make them do things that she wishes as long as they are a weaker type of gem that was made to take orders. (Nearly all of the gem race). Another spikey white shield materialized in my hand. On its grey rim, tiny sharp triangles hand formed which gave it the appearance of a circular saw. I looked at the centre of the shield where I expected to see a white diamond. I paused, my white eyes examining what had replaced White Diamond's symbol. A pink rose with Pink Diamond's symbol was there. I paused and dropped the weapon to the ground.

My hand drifted to Pink Diamond's gem which was in a weird rotation. It was grey except for a pink spot in the middle. "What is this?" White Diamond yelled as I mimicked what she said. I ran my hand through my pure white hair. A dark brown wisp drifted near my eye which momentarily blocked my vision. "What is happening?" We yelled.

"Steven…" She muttered as a small smile formed on her face.

"Pearl" I started to mutter against my master accord. My hands quickly went over my mouth. "Pearl…" I muttered again through the restraint of my hands. Her eyes locked with mine. _How am I feeling emotion? What is this? Steven? _My hands flew to my head. The pink spot on her gem started to spread and more feelings flooded into my mind.

I looked over at White Diamond. Her hands were on her gem and her eyes were squeezed shut. My feelings faded away again as the pink hue of Pink Diamond's gem began to fade. Only the pink spot remained again. "Pearl…" I whispered against my accord, a bit louder than the last few times. She somehow forced herself to get up despite White Diamond not telling her to. She slowly walked towards me but she looked like she was fighting against an invisible force which she was. She was fighting against White Diamond's indirect control.

Her feet loudly plonked against the white floor towards me and she forgot all of her grace. She stopped before me. She grabbed my hand and I blushed. _Why am I blushing? Steven, he sees her as a mother figure, it must be him. _I can't move. She smiled at me. Steven was stopping me from moving. "Pearl, help me. Please." Steven whispered.

"What is happening?" White Diamond screamed but I did not. I winced with pain as Pearl looked at me sadly. She put her fingers on Pink Diamond's gem and we both started to glow. "What?" White Diamond bellowed. We fused and my existence started to disappear.

**Rainbow Quarts 2.0's point of view.**

"Pearl what did you do?" I asked myself as my hands covered Steven's gem. "What if it affects you too?" I muttered. "Let's just focus on healing, shall we?" I said before licking both of my hands and gracefully placed them on Steven's gem. I felt the pain that one of my components had been feeling for a while fade. A pink aura burst from Steven's gem, a pink tint bounced off of the walls. Our four eyes met with White's two pure white voids. She unleashed her aura, our auras collided and a scorching heat emitted from the point of collision.

Pearl's gem started to glow as she gave Steven's gem some of her energy. My aura grew a bit stronger and I started to push every ounce of strength I had into it. My four eyes narrowed and I started to focus on happy feelings that I had experienced. My body intensely glowed. I gritted my teeth and scrunched my fists. _My energy is starting to run out._ I tilted my head down as I braced myself for impact. Tears dripped down my face as White Diamond's aura overcame my aura. An unbearable pain hit my body which caused so much unbalance that forced me to unfuse and cease to exist.

**Steven's point of view.**

There was not a hint of mercy in the aura that beat down on us. All I could see was white similar to what I saw in my mind. I gasped for air and winced as the air I inhaled started to feel like it was burning my lungs. I spluttered and threw up. I could hear the sound of a gem crying out in pain nearby. I slowly crawled towards the noise as I could not get up because of how intense the pain was. I reached out and felt Pearl's hand clasp mine. "It… will be okay…" She whispered hoarsely to me. Then, my heart felt like it stopped as I heard a poofing sound. I knew she was the cause of the sound because I felt the absence of her hand. I reached out blindly to try to grab her gem but to no avail.

I felt White Diamond's aura recede and I saw Pearl's gemstone float over to White's hand. I weakly reached out towards her gemstone. I went to get onto my feet but my body failed me. A trickle of blood spilt out of my mouth. I looked up and saw her malicious smile. "Oh Starlight, you are weaker than me and you know it. I must admit, I am surprised. You are a lot stronger than any other gem… Apart from me. You just need to know who your allegiance should be with and you do need more training." She laughed emotionlessly. "Your Pearl will also need to learn this through different ways."

A screeching noise sounded from the pipe. My eyes drifted over to the pipe where I saw Connie emerge from it. A wave of worry hit me in the face. "Don't worry guys, I am here!" She shouted as she paused. She looked for the other gems but she only saw me, she sprinted over to me. She kneeled by me. "Are you okay?" She whispered.

"Get out of here" I whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Oh, you have a little pet. An inferior life form. She may be an… interesting specimen to use in your training." White Diamond said cruelly. I glared angrily at her. She clapped her hands. White Pearl appeared behind Connie instantly and wrapped Connie's hands behind her back. She grunted as she struggled to break free. A white bubble started to form around them. "Connie!" I screamed desperately as I raised my hand towards her.

"Steven!" She yelled as tears welled up in her eyes.

They disappeared through the floor. My hand slammed down onto the floor which caused a loud echo to sound through the large area. Tears started to well up in my eyes. A cage started to form around me. The ceiling and floor were a dark grey material which was probably obtained from one of their colonies. It seemed indestructible. The bars were made out of magical beams made by Blue, Yellow and White Diamond. The floor started to descend. I reached my hand out and gently touched the bars. A strong pain shot up my arm and tears ran down my face from Blue Diamond's powers. Yellow Diamond's powers simply spread up my arm. My hand shot back. "You are not getting through that anytime soon. Oh, and don't worry about your Pearl." She taunted as she threw Pearl's gemstone up and down through the air. "I will look after her."


	5. Training

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story. Sorry for not making another chapter yesterday.**

Chapter 5 - Training

**Steven's point of view.**

I slowly started to stir from my sleep. My eyes stung as I began to open them. I yawned as I struggled to my feet. My back and stomach ached because of the events that transpired yesterday. I examined the room around my cage. It was small and dark grey. It was only just big enough to fit my cage. A cold chill flooded through my body. My head ached badly. My curly hair was messy and tangly.

The floor below me started to glow. A white aura emitted out of it and pain shot through my body. I managed to keep standing but I could not do anything else. The floor started to rise. I stumbled slightly. I looked outside of my cell and I saw things past by at an alarmingly fast speed. I tried to jump but my feet were stuck to the floor. "At least I don't have that to add to my unanswered questions." I sighed as I waited for the contraption to stop.

After what felt like a minute, the contraption finally stopped and a menacing figure came into my view. Her grey eyes twinkled evilly as I arrived. "Ah, Starlight, there you are." She said in a monotone voice. She pulled up a grey screen and typed something on it in the gem language 'Nephrite' used. "Now." She whispered while looking at her screen. She put her hands over the top and bottom of the screen and it closed. "Let's test your powers." She whispered with a bit of happiness in her voice.

Suddenly, her Pearl appeared at her feet. She quietly emerged from her bubble and walked towards me. "Your opponent will be my Pearl." She announced. Her Pearl summoned her sword and dove at me with it. I instinctively summoned my shield. A loud clanging noise emitted from the two weapons when they collided. She then went to sweep my feet from underneath me but I jumped and activated my floating powers.

"Oh, Pink? Your Pearl has reformed. She reformed an hour ago. Do well in training and you can see her for a few minutes." White announced. My stomach sank, _were they threatening Pearl too? _I started to fall as I thought about this. My messy hair flew around my face. I summoned my bubble around me mere moments before it hit the floor. My bubble bounced along the floor before it rolled to a stop and disappeared.

White Pearl stood in front of me and highered her sword. She started to bring it down. I went to block it with my shield but instead, a different weapon was in my hand. A pink destabliser which shot pink bolt was now glowing in my hand. I shot a few bolts at Pearl and hoped it woould not hurt her too much; by the look of her eye, she looked like she had been hurt enough already.

The bolts hit her but she did not let out any sign they hurt her except for pausing. Pink spots appeared at the places where they collided which included her gem. Her colour started to return to her and she could finally move of her own accord. She collapsed, her hands landing on the smooth floor with a loud thunk. My version of a destabliser vanished into thin air. I smiled. I was able to heal her while fighting her. I placed my hand lightly on her shoulder. "Welcome back." I whispered kindly to her.

She looked up at me and smiled. White Diamond looked down as her eyes turned from evil to angry. She stood up and a large echo sounded through the room. We both looked around at the menacing figure who now seemed like she would obliterate both of us. I grabbed Pink Pearl's hand comfortingly. "Pink! What have you done now?" She yelled as her temper started to flare.

"You are not hurting her anymore!" I yelled at White angrily. I twirled Pink Pearl around and we fused.

**Light Pink Quartz's point of view.**

"What is this?" I whispered. "Don't worry, you will be fine." I answered myself.

"Unfuse with my Pearl!" White yelled.

"Oh ho, what is this now? A gem with a temper. Tut tut tut. Really I would have thought you would have grown out of that by now White." I taunted. I slowly walked towards one of the walls and punched a small hole in it. Before White could do anything to stop me, I jumped out of it and I started to fall through the air.


	6. An Escape Attempt

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story.**

Chapter 6 - Escape Attempt.

**Light Pink Quartz's point of view.**

We fell for a while. Our hair flew around us. The buns in my hair started to become loose so I let them down. I blinked rapidly with my four eyes and hugged myself with my four arms. I looked down at Pink Diamond's gemstone. It looked like a clear pink crystal. Pink Pearl's gemstone was beside it and it looked similar to Pink's.

Finally, we landed. My feet slammed into the ground. A few specs of fertin (a material on Homeworld) flew around me. It was grey and quite dull. I looked up at the diamond ship as I realised that White could still hurt me. I started to walk away quickly. My body felt heavy and I had to drag myself along. A bright light shone from the diamond ship as it sprung into motion.

It started to sprint towards us. White was piloting the whole ship even my leg ship. Long wisps of hair flew behind me from the buns that I had undone. I narrowed my eyes and pumped my arms to make me go faster. I saw my surrounding zoom by in a blur. My transparent dress (which had roses and flowers from outside of Pink Diamond's palanquin) flowed behind me and my leggings clung to my legs. My light pink shoes made clunking noises against the ground as I rushed.

After a brief few moments, we reached a ledge. The diamond ship was gaining on me. I jumped, eager to get away from White. We shot up through the air. I dived downwards, a strange gem structure was slightly in front of me if I could just reach it then I might be safe. I descended faster and faster, cold air zoomed past me. I extended my legs as I braced for impact. I slowed down a bit but I did not have time to slow down too much, I must stay away from White Diamond.

I slammed into the ledge before the building. It seemed to be a building that belonged to Yellow Diamond as the building was yellow with shapes that looked identical to her gemstone. I approached the door, a single gem fusion of two Topazes. She stood there nervously. She seemed familiar. I recognised her as I remembered her and Aquamarine and how she had helped me before.

"Pink Pearl, we need to unfuse" I whispered to myself. I nodded to myself as a warm pink light surrounded me.

**Steven's point of view.**

I was still holding Pink Pearl's hand as we quickly walked forward. White would be here soon and I do not have a lot of time. I stopped before Topaz and stared up at her. Her eyes met my own and she gasped.

"Steven?" She whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"There is no time to explain, White Diamond is after us and-"

"White Diamond?" She shouted.

"Please let us in," I begged her.

She looked at me, her eyes wide. She quickly opened the door for me, I saw the fear in her eyes. "Thank you" I whispered as I pulled Pink Pearl inside the building with me. The door slammed shut behind us. I recognised it as the bubble room that we were in earlier when we confronted Yellow. The majority of the hole in the wall had been fixed but a small whole still remained.

A small blue gem was flying gracefully in the centre of the room. She turned towards us as if she had sensed her presence. Her face was stern. "Hello my Dad" She whispered. "Well that was a while ago wasn't it Pink Diamond?"

"Oh great…" I whispered to Pink Pearl.

"White Diamond has been looking for you!" She said cruelly.

"Aquamarine please, don't tell White where we are!" I pleaded. I could see Pink Pearl tense out of the corner of my eye. Aquamarine flew over to me until she was flying directly in front of me. There was a small diamond-shaped object in her hand that I only just noticed. A direct Diamond communication device. She smirked then selected White Diamond's communication.

"Sorry Pink Diamond but it is the price of being the best!" She giggled like a little child. "My Topazes had no idea which was a test to see what they would do. Naturally, they failed." As she said this, White Diamond's face appeared as the white hologram expanded. She smiled.

"Hello Pink" She whispered. "Ah, Yellow's bubble room, thank you Aquamarine."

Aquamarine diamond saluted and left. Pink Pearl stiffened. "It is good to see that you looked after my Pearl." She said emotionlessly. "I will be there in a few seconds." She announced. The screen closed before I could say anything. I paused. Fear pounding through my body. "We need to go now!" I yelled as we ran for the exit. I flung the doors open as a giant hand with black nails grabbed us...


	7. Consequences

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story.**

Chapter 7 - Consequences

**Pearl's point of view.**

It had been way over a day now. Nothing had really happened to me yet. I had been placed in a pitch-black room. I was in the middle of the room, curled up in a small ball. My new form was quite similar to my old one. I still had my blue jacket, my shirt was a bit longer. It was still blue except for a pink line around the bottom of it. A yellow star was at the centre of the shirt. My jeans were exactly the same and so were my shoes.

I felt incredibly lonely, the darkness was intoxicating. There were no windows and I don't think anyone was coming to my rescue anytime soon. I needed to make a plan. I couldn't think of one alone though.

At that moment, I remembered the others still inside of my gem. I doubt that Garnet would have reformed yet but Amethyst may have. I concentrated. A pale light burst out of my gem, illuminating the area in front of me. A figure flew out of my gem and hit the floor.

Amethyst laid there, dazed for a moment. She slowly looked around until her eyes landed on me. Her form had hardly changed either. Her rips in her black shirt were gone. In their place was a dark grey star around her gem. Her shoes were black with a few white stars on them. Nothing else had changed.

"We failed didn't we?" She asked sadly.

"Yes… We did." I spoke slowly, my voice cracking from not using it for a day. Amethyst's head dropped, she grumbled as she got to her feet and put her hand out towards me. I grabbed it and allowed her to pull me up. She was frowning. "What happened? Your plan was perfect. How did we lose?" She whispered anxiously. "Also, where on Earth… I mean Homeworld are we?

"I have no idea where we are, I have never been here before. It must be an era two addition." I sighed.

"Where is Steven?" Amethyst enquired. I was silent. Amethyst's anxiety was visibly rising. "Where is Steven?" She repeated again.

"White… Diamond… has him…" I whispered. Tears started to roll down my eyes. "I am... sorry, I… I was not strong enough…" I continued in between my sobs. I bit my lip to try to stop myself from crying but I couldn't. _Why couldn't I protect him? Why am I so useless? _Amethyst grabbed my wrist. She looked me in the eyes. "It wasn't your fault." She said soothingly. "White Diamond is more powerful than we imagined. Sugilite couldn't stop her P. You saw what White Diamond can do." She slowly let go of my wrist as she said this.

"We need to make a plan," I announced to her.

"I know" She whispered. "It is unfortunate that neither Ruby or Sapphire have reformed yet."

"I know" I whispered back to her.

"Anyway, let's plan then shall we, we can fill them in when they reform," Amethyst said. I nodded.

**Steven's point of view.**

Darkness. That is all that I could see. I inhaled, my lungs cried out for air. I hissed as my lungs burned. My memories were mixed up. _What happened. The last thing I remember was running. Running from what? Who… What is my name? _The platform underneath me started to move up. My head started to shoot pain through my body. I could feel a large bump on my head where I must have been hit by something.

A very tall woman stood in front of me as the platform stopped. "Who are you?" I yelled up at her. She turned around, only just seeming to notice my presence. She paused, she was clearly confused by my question before she seemed to realise what had happened. "I must have hit you a bit too hard. Whoops. Well, no matter, it will make it easier for me." She announced loudly, her cold voice echoing around the strange room.

She had a gem which seemed to be a white diamond on her head. It started to glow a bright white. A beam shot towards my body. I screamed then yelped like a dog as an unbearable amount overcame me.

**Amethyst's point of view.**

We had been waiting for over one hour trying to make a plan but we couldn't. Ruby had just reformed and was now sitting in the darkroom with us. Sapphire was still absent. We now sat in silence. "What do you think White Diamond has done to Steven?" I asked wearily. No one answered. I guess I kind of already knew. "Why don't we try fusing?" I asked the gems around me. Pearl shook her head. "Until Sapphire reforms, we won't be strong enough to escape…" Pearl whispered. Ruby slammed her hand into the floor. The noise echoed around the room. She groaned. She ran into the darkness and it surrounded her. We could no longer see her but we could her distant thuds against one of the walls of our prison.

I rubbed my hand against the smooth surface. I lifted my hand. I ran my hands through my hair. It was soft and kind of comforting. _Come on Sapphire, we need you._

**Pearl's point of view.**

I felt something within my gem. "Sapphire is back!" I yelled out to Ruby and Amethyst. They leapt up and ran over to me as Sapphire flew out of my gem. She had a blue dress on with light blue stars scattered over it. Her long blue hair hung by her sides. Ruby rushed over to her. Ruby was wearing a dark t-shirt. A bright red star was in the middle of it. She was wearing black shorts with shoes that matched her t-shirt. She hugged Sapphire happily. They both giggled for a minute before looking over at me and Amethyst. "You have a plan don't you?" Sapphire asked. I nodded.

"We need to fuse to get out of here," I whispered

"I presume that the previous plan failed?" Sapphire asked me.

"Yes, I don't have time to tell you how Steven could be in danger," I replied. She nodded. We all held hands and a bright light engulfed us.

**Alexandrite's point of view.**

"Let's do this!" I growled. With that, I opened my second mouth and flames shot out against the wall. The wall started to char and crumble. The light started to peek through. After a few more moments, the wall crumbled. I jumped out onto a bridge nearby and started to run over to the giant Diamond Mech.

I ran past a lot of gems as I made my way over to the Diamond Mech. I could see Aquamarines, Peridots, Lapis Lazuli, Amethysts, a Holly Blue Agate and an Emerald. They looked up and stared at me but did nothing to stop me. My blue hair covered the majority of my vision so there were definitely more gems that I did not see. I did not care.

I went into a sprint as I got nearer to the Diamond Mech. I jumped as I got to its feet and started to climb…

**White Diamond's point of view.**

_This is taking too long, even though he seems to have no recollection of his powers, himself or anything, he is still fighting against me. It is annoying. _I enhanced the beam of light that I was firing at him. My body glowed brighter. I started to focus more and more. I heard a little thud and I realised that he had finally given in. I stopped.

A small child stood before me. His hair was grey, his eyes pure white with black diamond pupils. His clothing was as white as snow. His skin was extremely pale. "Finally." I groaned. "Now, let's get to work."

_Firstly, I must change his form. I need to reawaken Pink Diamond and stop this silly little game. _I started to concentrate. I pictured what Pink Diamond used to look like but nothing happened. I grunted. _Why isn't this working?_

At that moment, I heard a loud thudding noise from outside of the Diamond Mech. _It seems like we have company._


	8. Memories

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story.**

Chapter 8 - Memories

**Alexandrite's Point of view.**

I eventually reached the entry point (the eye) of the Diamond Mech. My hands were sweaty and my hair was extremely messy but it did not matter. We only had one mission. Save Steven. I desperately grabbed the ledge on the eye. It was small and it hardly supported my fingers. I was too big to be able to get through the eye so we unfused.

**Pearl's Point of view.**

We all stood on the ledge. Garnet, Amethyst and me. I didn't even see Garnet refuse but she was standing there with us like she had not done anything. She seemed very stoic. Amethyst looked extremely worried and I was shaking. Garnet jumped into the entrance and started sliding down. I slid down after Garnet and I heard Amethyst jump down after me. The grey walls rushed past us like a blur.

We flew off the end of the slide and landed perfectly on the floor. The nostalgia hit me as we landed. Steven was nowhere in sight. I licked my lips and slowly walked forward. White Diamond looked down at me like I was a speck of dirt. Her eyes narrowed and her lips curved into a menacing smile. "Back so soon?" She asked coldly.

"Where is Steven?" I shouted up to her.

"I don't appreciate a Pearl shouting at me, you need to learn your place!" She yelled at me angrily. I paused. My throat went dry and my shaking intensified. White Diamond's smile grew larger. "Now…" She whispered dramatically. "Steven is right here…" She announced.

I looked around but I could not see him. I looked back at White Diamond and was about to call her a liar when I saw a small figure on her shoulder. My eyes widened. _Not again. _I heard the gems behind me gasp. I could hear them step back a bit behind me. I looked down to notice that I had also stepped back.

Steven jumped down from her shoulder. He landed on the floor and it was like an earthquake had started. The ground beneath us cracked and shook. I stumbled. I fell backwards and landed on a sharp piece of the ground. I gasped and groaned. There was no sympathy or remorse on his face. He was emotionless. I noticed a big bump on his forehead. That was when it hit me. White Diamond had used her powers on him after he got hit in the head and he had gotten amnesia.

He summoned his shield. A White Diamond was on the centre instead of the Rose Quartz symbol. He glared at us, his eyes were pure white except for his black diamond pupils. He marched towards us. Amethyst ran in front of me and over to Steven. "Come on dude, snap out of it!" She said as she shook him by the shoulders. He simply glared at her. He slowly raised his arm and swung it towards Amethyst. It hit her head and she went flying across the room then she collided with the wall. She fell down and her body went limp. Her eyes were closed and she looked really close to poofing.

Garnet summoned her gauntlets and a growl escaped her lips. She charged forward and got in Steven's way. She stood there with her gauntlets and tried to stop him from going any further. He hit her with the shield then kicked her back. She flew toward me. I caught her just in time before she collided with me. He jumped towards us and summoned his spiky bubble. It looked like white glass and the spikes looked like icicles.

He collided with Garnet and me, we both flew across the room and slammed into the walls. White Diamond cackled. "Look at the improvements that I have made already!" She gloated. She flicked her wrist and the white light receded from Steven. There was something that was off about him and everyone could tell. He still could not remember anything.

I slowly got up. My body groaned but I ignored it. I walked towards him slowly. My feet quietly making little tapping sounds against the floor. "Who are you?" He whispered.

"I am called Pearl" I replied, trying not to let my voice break.

"Do you know me?" He asked.

"Yes," I replied.

"Where are we?"

"Homeworld," I whispered while making direct eye contact with him. "Do you remember anything?"

"Um… I think I remember that I was running from something?" He replied.

**Steven's Point of View.**

_Who are these people? _I decided to ask 'Pearl' the question that I wanted to know the answer to the most. "What is my name?" I asked curiously.

"Steven… That is your name..." She whispered.

I went to say something but I paused. I started to remember something. _A figure stood there, it was the person called Pearl. "Steven" She called out softly. "Please be careful." I saw myself. I seemed to be younger. The small child looked over at Pearl. He was standing on a ledge before some stairs down to a beach. He giggled, his face was the picture of innocence. "I am fine!" He called back. He jumped up and down happily on one of the wooden beams on the platform but it broke. He stumbled back and started to fall. Pearl caught him and embraced him. He smiled and so did she._

I felt a wave of unexpected happiness wash over me. "Pearl?" I whispered.

"You remember don't you?" She asked hopefully.

"No… no, it's just that I-" I began before I was interrupted.

"Ugh, stop it you defective Pearl!" The large figure yelled. Her gem started to glow again and I felt an enormous amount of pain. I tried to scream but no noise came out. I collapsed to the ground. Pearl supported me. She embraced me as soon as the large gem had stopped firing a beam of white light at me. A person who seemed to be around about my height walked over to me. She seemed really familiar. Her name was on the tip of my tongue. I hissed as the pain increased. "Amethyst?" I cried out in pain as I said this. She nodded with tears in her eyes, I do not know if they were tears of sadness or joy.

"Garnet, get over here!" Amethyst yelled.

"Garnet?" I gasped as I remember Garnet. She walked over to me and dropped by my side. She placed her hand on my hair. Tears were leaking out from her visor. I looked down at myself as a familiar white hue had nearly covered my body. My memories flooded back to me.

_Pearl, Amethyst, Garnet and me (Steven) the Crystal Gems. My mother Pink Diamond also known as Rose Quartz had started a war for the Earth. She gave birth to me and now I have to fix all that was broken which includes the corrupted gems. I can't give up! I must help them!_

I smiled and the Crystal Gems around me. "Thank you…" I whispered weakly. I summoned a shield and threw it at White Diamond. It hit her in the face due to her being distracted by something that she had just gotten on her holopad. She glared down at me. Her expression was furious. The white hue on my body was still growing. Pink Pearl appeared suddenly at her side but she was being mind-controlled again and was no longer in control. White Pearl summoned her diamond's weapon (A sword) and strolled towards our Pearl.

White Pearl tried to attack Pearl with it but she blocked and pushed White Pearl away. "Keep away from my family!" Pearl grumbled.


	9. A Fight with a Pearl

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story.**

Chapter 9 - A fight with a Pearl

**Pearl's point of view.**

A bright light illuminated around me as a spear materialised out of my gem. I twirled it around with my fingers. White Diamond's pearl was still advancing. Her one eye glaring angrily at me. "Know your place!" It growled threatening at me. I flinched. My body was slightly shaking. I summoned up all my courage and walked towards the unwilling servant of White Diamond.

Suddenly, she lunged for me. Her sword pointed at my chest. I flipped gracefully through the air, my hair flying around wildly. I pointed my spear in her direction and white blasts of light bombarded her. She raised her sword up to block some of the blasts. A few of the blasts grazed her but she hardly noticed. She leapt up at me, I quickly swung my spear in front of me as she brought her sword down on it, intending to slash her sword across my stomach.

I landed, my feet banging against the broken floor. She was moments behind me. I summoned a holo-pearl but she simply thrust her sword through it before it could properly respond. She brought her sword down on me. I parried it and jumped back. She ran after me as she thrust her sword at me again. I blocked it but she swept me off my feet by doing a sweep. She swung her body around and kicked me. I flew across the floor, the shattered floor-grazing my sides.

I slowed down to a stop. She was in front of me in seconds. She drove her sword through my physical form. I had one moment to register what had happened before I poofed and retreated into my gem.

**Amethyst's Point of view.**

"Pearl!" I screamed as White Diamond's Pearl picked up Pearl's gem. White Diamond's Pearl threw the gem up into the air. A bubble appeared around it and disappeared before the gem could hit the floor. "No…" Steven moaned out in despair. I kept my eyes on the Pearl.

"Amethyst, finish this, Steven has not got much time left!" Garnet yelled over to me. My eyes swiftly peered around at Steven. They widened. The White hue was slowly crawling up his head. His eyes were wide, his mouth was shaking as I noticed that he was holding back the tears that stung his eyes.

I looked back at the Pearl. I brought my hand to my gem as a purple glow was emitted out of it. One moment later, a whip with purple spikes on it was in my firm grasp. I moved my hand quickly towards her. My whip obeyed me as if it was a part of my body. It wrapped around her arm. It made a loud cracking sound. She did not respond to the pain, she just grabbed it and tried to get it off of her. I swung the whip to the right before she had the chance. She flew through the air and slammed into the wall. A small crater formed in it from her impact. She jumped out of it and started to charge at me. I noticed that she had switched the hand her spear was in. Her other hand was now at her side, a large indent was visible on her skin with deep scratches from the spikes on my whip.

I went to stop her in her tracks again but she was too fast. She was a meter away from me and she thrust her sword towards me. I wrapped my whip around it and quickly flipped over her head. She flew over my head but her sword slightly cut into my forehead. I cried out in pain. One of my hands flew to my head to cover the cut. "Ow… That really hurts!" I groaned. My white hair that was supposed to cover part of my forehead had been cut off. A small portion of my other eye was visible.

White Pearl ran towards me, once again, her sword was pointed towards me. I steadied my position and jumped out of the way at the last second. She ran past me and I wrapped my whip around her waist. I threw her against the wall. The sound of a gemstone falling to the ground and the cloud that momentarily surrounded it told me that she had finally poofed. I bubbled her then I fell to the ground, my hand still covering the cut on my forehead.

"Steven!" Garnet yelled. "Fight it, Steven, come on!" My attention went back to my surroundings, especially one thing. Steven. He was nearly consumed by the white hue which had spread over his body. He was shaking and groaning. I ran over to him and fell to my knees at his side. Garnet was at his other side, one of her hands was holding his. I mimicked her. He looked up at me. "Amethyst… Your forehead…" He whispered in a hoarse voice.

"Ha, it'll be fine…" I whispered trying to reassure him but by the look on his face, I had failed. His eyes started to close. "Don't you dare give up!" I yelled at him suddenly.

His eyes shot wide open. One of his eyes were pure white with a black diamond pupil while the other one was his normal brown-ish black. Tears slowly fell out of his normal eye.

**Steven's point of view.**

"I can't move…" I whispered, my vision went blurry. I blinked a couple of times and it eased a little. I saw Garnet and Amethyst kneeling next to me. I felt really cold and the raw searing pain was not helping me. I groaned. I tried to move my arm but the pain intensified, I yelled out in pain. I looked down at the white hue covering my body. The cause of my pain. I tried again to move my arm. Unimaginable pain shot through my body. I tried my best to ignore it. I slid it out of Amethyst's grip and I placed it behind me. I pushed some of my remaining strength into it to try and allow myself to get up. I screamed as the pain worsened even more. My breathing was rapid. Amethyst put her hand behind me and helped me into a sitting position.

My brain started to stop functioning as the white hue had finally reached it. My screaming intensified. My tears turning into waterfalls. My heart pounded in my chest. I could hear the muffled voices of my fellow Crystal Gems. My Family. My screams died on my lips as my throat grew hoarse. "This... is not happening…", I whispered to no one. "You are not controlling me White…" I tried to shout but my throat would not let me so it came out as a strangled cry.

"How cute." She said mockingly. "You can't stop me Pink. Stop trying!"

"I… won't let you harm… anyone else!" I cried out.

"Me, harming them?" She asked rhetorically. "Oh no Pink, you have it wrong. You were the one who harmed them. If it was not for you, they would not be defective. If it was not for you, no one would be suffering right now!" She laughed coldly.

"Don't listen to her!" Garnet whispered to me.

I slowly rose to my feet. The pain grew more intense. I was only just able to stop myself from fainting. Black dots danced before my eyes but somehow, I was staying conscious. Garnet and Amethyst stood tall behind me. I grabbed their hands. "My family believes in me!" I shouted as loud as I possibly could. "Pearl fought you to protect us, I will not let you hurt anyone else!"

"Did you listen to what I just said?" She bellowed.

"I heard, but you are wrong, you chose to hurt every single gem that you have hurt. Also, I am not my mother!" I screamed back at her. A comforting warmth flooded through me silencing the searing pain that I had endured for ages. My vision returned to normal and the black dots disappeared. My hue was light pink.

"I am Steven Universe. I have come to you to ask for your help to cure the corrupted gems on Earth! Please, let us fix this!" I shouted determinedly to White Diamond.


	10. A Chance

**Before we start, **_**Italics **_**means that the character is thinking of something or remembering something. This is an alternative way that the events of 'Battle of Heart and Mind' would have taken place. This fanfiction is a way for me to practise my writing skills. Please give me some tips.**

**Disclaimer: Steven Universe belongs to Rebecca Sugar and Cartoon Network, not me. Please enjoy! Warning, there are some gruesome scenes ahead and this is going to start getting intense. Thank you to everyone who is following this story.**

Chapter 10 - A Chance

**Steven's Point of View**

I stood completely still. My gem was sparkling, filling my body up with warmth and determination. _We can do this! _My eyes met White Diamond's. Anger and fury were radiating out of hers, juxtaposing my soft but determined eyes. I took a deep breath. The silence was deafening me. Garnet and Amethyst held my hands tight. The fear radiating off of them was almost overwhelming. I pushed out my aura slightly, waves of calm flowed through them as they stopped tensing.

White took a few steps towards me. "I suppose we need some more lessons, don't we Pink?" She whispered cruelly. I slammed my teeth together and formed fists with my hands. White snapped her fingers. A white bubble appeared. Pearl's gemstone lay dormant inside. A little pop sounded as the bubble burst. She held Pearl's gemstone up with her long black nails. She aimed her other hand at us as it glowed as bright as a star. She swiped it left and a white line of power poured out of her hand as she did so. Garnet, Amethyst and I all jumped different ways to avoid it as it sliced into the ground. The spot where it struck glowed for a second before it exploded. A cloud of dust and smoke flew towards us, engulfing us in thick grey smoke and dust which flew through the air. I started to cough repeatedly. I couldn't stop. I fell to my knees and placed my hands on the ground to steady myself. I tried to breathe in oxygen but I failed. I activated my powers and jumped above it the dust and smoke. Gasping for air, I looked at White. My stomach dropped as I saw White using her mind control beams which flew into the smoke.

A few moments later, the smoke and dust suddenly disappeared. Quickly, I descended to the ground which had been fixed somehow. _How did that get fixed? _Thud. I stood on the ground. I looked at White Diamond then I looked and saw Pearl still dangling in her nails. Before I knew what I was doing, my eyes were searching for Garnet and Amethyst.

Two grey and white gems lay there. Their forms following the same colour as their gems. They rose like someone was using telekinesis to lift them up. They lifted their hands up until they were level with their heads. Garnet's visor vanished, showing the emotionless look in her eyes. They wore smiles that were too wide. "Now then…" White whispered as they mimicked her. She inspected Pearl's gemstone which still remained between her fingers. "We are going to learn about something called punishment." She continued.

"No!" I gasped as I realised. "No, White please no! No! No!" I pleaded but she seemed like she wasn't listening. She let go of Pearl's gemstone and it started to drop through the air. "No!" I screamed as I ran towards it. I pushed my powers to the surface as I sprinted faster. My foot slammed into the ground then I launched myself into the air. I zoomed towards Pearl. I wrapped my body around her gemstone and then I hit the ground before I could slow down. The air was knocked out of my body. I gasped as I tried to get the oxygen back into my body. My lungs screamed but the only thing that mattered was that Pearl was safe. She sat in my arms. Her form still being made inside of her gem. It shined and sparkled. I pulled it closer into my chest as I breathed a sigh of relief. My eyes flew upwards as I heard someone step forward. A mind-controlled Amethyst stood in front of me. Her gem glowed. White light sparkling around it. A grey whip flew out of it. I looked up at her. She was looking straight at me. Her face only showed one emotion. Disgust.

Quickly, I stood up. I started to run backwards, not letting my eyes drift away from Amethyst for one second. She broke into a sprint towards me. She raised her whip, white flames igniting on it. She curled up into a ball, the flames dancing around her body. The only thing that I saw was a white ball with flames flying off in all directions. She flew at me. I jumped to the side as she sped by me. The warmth from the flames as she passed made me grunt a tiny bit. When she realised that she missed, she started to turn around while building momentum. I jumped up again to dodge her. I landed too fast. My emotions were not under control. I couldn't control my floating powers. My pulse started to race in my ears. I rubbed my fingers over Pearl's gemstone still laying in my arms. I darted to the side as Amethyst flew at me again. She spun around and went straight for me. The flames getting bigger. There was no way to dodge her. I summoned my shield as she slammed against it. She did not stop. The heat started to burn my arms. Sweat started to fall down my forehead.

Cracks started to form on my shield. My eyes widened. I summoned more energy into my shield. My gem started to glow again. "White! Please… Stop!" I screamed. I could hardly hear anything because of how hard my heart was pounding. I closed my eyes and tried to slow my breathing. I strained my ears to listen for a response from White but she said nothing. I looked behind me to where White was standing. Then, I saw Garnet coming towards me. She was not walking but she was coming towards me. Her legs did not move and she wasn't floating. My eyes widened. The unusual way she was walking made my nervousness increase. My shield started to fail. I had not focused enough on it. Cracks were all over it. I summoned my bubble as my shield collapsed and Amethyst flew for me. She bounced into my bubble and flew backwards, I also flew backwards over Garnet. My bubble grew spikes as it crashed into the wall. It disappeared and I fell to the ground.

Fatigue crushed down on me. My breathing was all over the place. I looked down at my hands and realised that Pearl's gem was missing. I started to panic my eyes searching the area around me. They searched the room until I saw a little gemstone laying a few steps in front of me. I exhaled loudly as I started to get to my feet. My feet thudding clumsily against the floor. I bent down and picked Pearl's gem up. I clasped it in my fingers. Inspecting its smooth surface. Then, I felt something abnormal. A little gap. It was so tiny I could hardly feel it. I started to tremble as I slowly turned her gem around in my hand. A small crack lay on the gem's surface. My heart stopped. _Pearl's gem… It's cracked. No… no… no… _My body shook violently.

Suddenly, pain shot through my arm as Amethyst's whip cut into it. I let out a bloodcurdling scream. I fell to my knees. _Wait… I can heal her. I have healing powers! _I went to lick my hand but I couldn't. Amethyst's whip wrapped around my arms. I struggled and the whip cut into my arms. Blood leaked out of the wounds. I groaned. I could hear a weapon being summoned behind me. Then, all I felt was pain as I was launched into the air. My whole body pulsing with pain. The whip still held my hands together as it had been tied. Amethyst had let go of it the second before I had been hit. I landed head first. My head smashing into the floor. Blood poured out of my nose like someone had turned on a tap. I heard a crack and knew that it was Pearl's gem getting worse. "Stop it!" I yelled. Still no reply. My body went weak.


End file.
